Physicists finally put Feynman's path integral to the test
Physicists at South China Normal University have experimentally validated Richard Feynman's 1948 'path integral' thought experiment using single photons. The study confirms that quantum particles effectively traverse all possible paths simultaneously.
Why it matters
This experiment provides empirical evidence for a foundational theory in quantum mechanics that has remained unproven for nearly 80 years.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Experimental setup validates the predictions of Feynman's line integral for the first time. Credit: Yong-Li Wen et al. For nearly 80 years, physicists have relied on a thought experiment created by Richard Feynman to predict how quantum particles behave. For the first time, researchers in China have tested this trick directly in the lab.
Led by Shi-Liang Zhu at South China Normal University in Guangzhou, China, the team used single particles of light to show that Feynman's idea holds up in practical experiments.
Their results are published in Science Advances .
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